Academic Reform
 2011 edition | |
| Author | Ian D. Clark, David Trick, Richard J. Van Loon |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Higher Education |
| Publisher | McGill-Queen's University Press |
| ISBN | 978-1-55339-238-5 |
Academic Reform: Policy Options for Improving the Quality and Cost-Effectiveness of Undergraduate Education in Ontario is a book co-authored by Ian D. Clark, David Trick and Richard J. Van Loon.
Building on the 2009 book, Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario, the authors start with the premise that the teacher-scholar ideal pursued by individual universities has led to a model for under-graduate education in Ontario that is financially unsustainable and does not provide the best possible education for undergraduate students. They draw from the literature on higher education reform and on recent policy initiatives in the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe and selected American states and Canadian provinces to show that options are available for providing high-quality education to an ever expanding number of students at a more affordable cost to both students and governments.
Academic Reform explores ways to sharpen Ontario universities’ focus on undergraduate teaching and to increase the number of students attending institutions that focus on undergraduate education, without diminishing Ontario’s ability to attract and retain university researchers of the highest calibre. The authors develop a model for teaching-oriented undergraduate institutions that would complement traditional research universities. They present options for provincial funding and regulation to encourage the creation of such institutions while supporting high-quality undergraduate teaching at existing universities.